"We stand in solidarity with our LGBTQIA+ community everywhere." "The Disney Pride Collection was created by LGBTQIA+ employees and allies at The Walt Disney Company and is a reflection of their incredible contributions and place at the heart of the company," Disney said in a statement. It comes out prior to the month of June, which LGBT advocates celebrate as a so-called pride month. All of the products in the new Disney collection are emblazoned with the LGBT movement's rainbow pride flag. The new clothing line, which had previously been referred to as the Rainbow Disney Collection, launched on Monday.
#CHEAP GAY PRIDE T SHIRTS SERIES#
“With rebranding the rainbow merchandise into the new Disney Pride Collection, and donating 100% of the profits during Pride Month, Disney is sending out a clearer message about supporting the LGBTQ+ community which we take as a win,” he said.Disney has released their new "Pride Collection," a clothing line for children that comes on the heels of the entertainment company's adversarial response to Florida's new parental rights in education bill and amid its escalating attempts to include LGBTQ themes and characters in children's animated series and other programming. “The world has evolved and so too has the Walt Disney Co.,” Shapiro said.ĭaan Colijn, who runs a gay travel blog with his partner, Karl Krause, applauded Disney’s move, calling the company an LGBTQ+ ally. 16-18 at Disneyland.Įddie Shapiro, who launched “Gay Days Anaheim” with his friend Jeffrey Epstein, called the Pride Collection a “step in the right direction” and said he expects to see Disney continue to support the LGBTQ+ community and stop contributing to the campaign coffers of conservatives who demonize the acceptance of gay and lesbian couples. This year the event is scheduled for Sept. “Gay Days” events attract about 30,000 visitors each year to Anaheim’s Disneyland Resort, according to organizers.
The events take place in the parks but are organized by outside groups. Proceeds from ticket sales helped support housing programs for people with AIDS and scholarships for students studying LGBTQ+ issues.įor years, Disneyland and Walt Disney World in Florida have been the site of “Gay Days” celebrations that have drawn thousands of members of the LGBTQ+ community. That year, the park also sold for the first time T-shirts and other merchandise emblazoned with the “Love Is Universal” logo during the event. Universal Studios Hollywood is the annual site of a gay pride celebration known as “Pride Is Universal.” It’s not listed on the park’s calendar, but in 2019 the park posted its first Twitter announcement about the event. Other theme parks have moved in recent years to publicly support their LGBTQ+ visitors. A 2019 survey of LGBTQ travelers found that 11% visited theme parks in the previous 12 months.
One of Disney’s largest sources of revenue is merchandise licensing and retail sales, which generated about $4.2 billion in 2021, according to the company’s latest annual report.Īnd there may be a business case in supporting LGBTQ+ park visitors, according to the findings of a recent survey of Grindr dating app users that said LGBTQ+ travelers spend $100 billion a year in the U.S.
Disney should stick to entertainment and out of politics. On social media, news of the Pride Collection drew praise and scorn.Ī Twitter post on an account described as a Disneyland food blog that showed a picture of a Pride Collection marketing sign generated a range of responses, from “Step in the right direction Disney” to “Sorry, but we will be no longer supporting WOKE Disney world. “THIS IS HOW IT’S DONE! And the merch is FIERCE! Bravo, Disney. People who commented on the public post were enthusiastic. “We stand in solidarity with our LGBTQIA+ community everywhere.” “The Disney Pride Collection was created by LGBTQIA+ employees and allies at The Walt Disney Company and is a reflection of their incredible contributions and place at the heart of the company,” the company said on its website. The move comes as Disney faces mounting criticism and scorn from conservative lawmakers and others who say the company has oversize influence on children, and American culture at large, and is pushing a progressive agenda they oppose. Profits from sales of T-shirts, Mickey Mouse ears, plush toys and other souvenirs in the newly branded collection will be donated to a select group of LGBTQ+ advocacy organizations through the end of June, the company said. has courted LGBTQ+ visitors to its theme parks, selling rainbow-colored souvenirs and hosting groups that organize annual “Gay Days” celebrations.īut Disney this week started marketing and promoting merchandise under the name Pride Collection for the first time, a big branding move for a company that has become a conservative target for its support of LGBTQ+ rights.